Home
by Detective-Inspector-Me
Summary: Kathy has been away a long time, and coming home isn't everything she thought it would be. All those she loved are gone, and now she has to try and fit into this new era of the X men. But some people are less happy to see her than others.
1. Chapter 1

A lot has changed since I left. Before… I remember the warm summer days, lying outside the mansion with Jean talking about boys (mainly Scott) and about school (mainly the professor), now all these people are gone. Sure, I still have Ororo, but I feel like something has changed in her. She's no longer a child, and she knows it.

I stand on the front step, waiting for something to pull me inside, but nothing ever does. There's no reassuring voice in my head saying 'Memery, what are you waiting for? It's safe I promise'. Jean killed that voice and its source forever.

I adjust my grip on my bag handles, the warm sun is making the leather strap hot and is making the contents feel like it weighs a hundred pounds.

_Don't be stupid. This is your home. Go in. Why aren't you going in?_

I take a step, and suddenly the weight of the memory seems to lift away, at least my mutation will keep parts of them with me. I open the front door and am momentarily stunned by the silence. I want to call out, but somehow that seems wrong. Instead I walk to the Professor – I mean Storm's office. I knock lightly, and hear her soft voice mumble a response. I peak my head in and smile when I see her. I've missed her.

'Kathy!' she screams, and jumps out of the chair. I drop my bag and wrap my arms around her. 'What are you doing here?' she says, excitedly.

'I just heard.' I respond dryly, trying to keep the pain out of my voice.

'Oh Kathy, I'm so sorry. I wanted to call you, but I knew you were graduating and I didn't want to ruin it for you.' She goes quite for a moment, 'how did you find out?'

'When the Professor wasn't at graduation I knew something was up, so I called Hank. He told me everything.' My voice doesn't sound like my own, and I know she must hate that, Ororo hates to see anyone unhappy, so I try to cheer up.

'Why don't I go and put this in my room' I say pointing at my bag, 'and then we can catch up.'

'OK,' she says, 'you know where it is.'

As I turn to leave she goes back to the desk, at the last minute I feel like I should say something to let her know I'm not angry at her, so I say 'Ororo, I'm really glad to see you.'

'You too Kathy,' she responds with a gentle smile, 'I'll see you in half an hour.'

I leave Ororo and walk up the stairs to my old room. I push open the door and am suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of home. The smell and feel of this room reminds me of my childhood, and almost every memory of my childhood is related to either Jean or the Professor. It's nice to think they're still here… somehow.

My bag isn't big and so it doesn't take long to unpack. I sit on the bed for a moment, but I can't contain myself, I have to see it. I rise from the bed and go up another floor. Soon I'm standing at the large wooden doors that separate me from my sanctuary and I push them open. The library always was my favourite place in the world, it was the Professor's and my little haven. I think I've read every book in here at least a dozen times. Sometimes I just love to know how it's all going to turn out. I turn down the first isle and run my fingers over the titles until I find it. The smooth leather cover. I pull it off the shelf and sit in the large window seat. I run my fingers over the title and then flip it open. This is the only book the Professor wrote and keeps in this library, and he put it here for me all those years ago.

One afternoon, I had found myself at a loss after having read every book in the building. The Professor had told me that I should write my own story, but I knew my talent was not for writing. After begging for hours, he'd let me into his personal library and told me to select a book. There were classics and fiction and fairytales, but this is what I chose. The first essay he had ever written about mutation. It was approximately a hundred pages long, handwritten, and he had bound it in a leather cover with a makeshift elastic band holding in the pages.

Now staring at his cursive writing, it's all I can do not to cry all over the pages, and smudge the ink into oblivion. After a while I close book, and return to my room, placing it on my shelf. It doesn't mean anything to anyone else anyway. I wash my face, to stop my eyes looking quite so red and I go downstairs to meet Storm. This may be harder than I'd thought.

In the kitchen, Storm is cleaning up after the kids lunch, some things never change, but when she sees me she sets down the cloth and comes over. 'Come on, let's get you something to eat.' (At this I assume that I didn't do a very good job covering up my tears). We walk to the dining area where some of the other staff are having their lunch and sit down. I'm introduced to Rouge and Bobby and Kitty, who all seem to be very sweet kids.

'So, why did you leave?' Bobby asks, and I see Storm shoot him a disapproving look, but I don't mind.

'I was getting my degree,' I respond, 'in literature'

'Literature?' Rogue asks, and I understand her confusion, mutants in general seem to have a flare for science.

'Yea, the Professor thought I could teach here someday, if I had my degree.'

'Did you ever go to college Storm?' Bobby asks,

'No Bobby, Kathy's a special case.'

'Who's Kathy?' a voice says from around the corner.

'Come in and see!' Ororo shouts back. A man appears in the door and stops when he sees me, I stare at him a little as I watch his life flash by.

'Logan,' Storm says, 'this is Kathy, she's an old friend of mine and Jeans. An original X woman. Come and sit down.'

The man snaps out of it and sits opposite me at the table before helping himself to food.

'So,' Kitty says, 'what's your power?'

'Well…' I say, casting Ororo a look, she knows I hate explaining my power, 'I see things.'

'Like, what sort of things?'

'It depends. When I look at a person, their life flashes by in an instant. When I'm asleep, I sometimes see fragments of the future. Basically, my brain can time travel, but it isn't nearly as cool as it sounds.'

'Well it sounds pretty cool.' Says Bobby, and I'm thankful they don't press for more details.

'So,' Logan says, looking at me again, 'you knew Jean Gray.'

'Yeah,' I respond, 'I did.'

He nods and then lifts his plate and leaves.

'Don't mind him.' Ororo says, 'he's going through a rough time.'


	2. Chapter 2

I settled back into life at the school well. Ororo added my class to the timetable and I picked some of my favourite books to teach the children. With the younger kids, I chose To Kill A Mockingbird and was surprised to find that not only were the children interested in literature, but were able to make links between One Shot Finch hiding his power with a gun to protect people and their current situation.

By the end of the first week of teaching, I was feeling better. I still missed the Professor, but so did everyone else. We were all still grieving.

I settled into the teaching circle well and became friendly with Bobby and Kitty right a way. Hank stopped by to see me as well, which I was glad of, because I know he hated having to tell me about the Professor. The only person I wasn't able to crack, was Logan. Ororo knew that she didn't have to tell me anything about his past for me to know exactly what was going on with him.

I could see everything, I watched him kill Jean and I saw the pain he felt afterwards. The only disadvantage with my mutation, is that (unlike the Professor) I can't feel. I can observe events through their eyes, but I don't feel their pain or joy, and so have to judge from their actions, and so I'm never 100% sure what's going through their head.

Eventually I decide that I'm going to have to break the ice, and so sit opposite him at dinner.

'Hi.' I say,

'Hi.' He responds, in a dull leave-me-alone tone.

These are the only two words we exchange before a courteous 'bye' as he leaves. I don't think I'm ever going to mend that bridge.

_Magneto. It's been a long time since I've envisaged one of his plans. I see him with other mutants outside the school, on the front lawn. He signals for them to move in, and they do._

_I watch them creep through the corridors before reaching Rouge's room. They burst in and pull her out into the night._

_As they're retreating Magneto says, 'Don't worry my dear. They'll come for you. It isn't you we're after.'_

I sit bolt upright in bed for only a second before putting on my shoes, grabbing my car keys and blanket, bunging them into a backpack and running down the corridor.

From past experience, Magneto could arrive at any time in the next two hours, but he could also be mere minutes away.

I get to Rouge's room and hastily explain the problem before grabbing her wrist and running back down the corridor, trying to avoid the route I saw Magneto take.

Soon, we're in the car and heading towards the thicker area of forest a few miles right of the school.

'Where are we going?' Rouge asks, now wide awake.

The woods. There's no metal there and so Magneto won't be able to hurt you himself. I park the car in the foliage and we walk another mile away.

Once I think we're safe I pull out the blanket and have Rouge lie down.

'Why did they take _me?_' She asks, 'They know I don't have any power now.'

'I think they wanted the others. They wanted your rescuers.'

Rouge seems to accept this and dozes off, while I keep watch. I can never sleep after having a vision.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, I wait until mid day to return to the school, to be sure I got the timing right. We walk back to the car slowly due to lack of energy, in my case from lack of sleep, and Rouge's lack of food.

When we reach the school, I tell Rouge to go up to her room and shower, she still looks shaken and I don't want her panicking.

'I'll talk to the others, don't worry.' She smiles, thanks me and gets out of the car.

Once I'm inside the eerie quiet strikes me again. I head towards the office and see every teacher in crammed into the space. Bobby is sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, while Kitty leans beside him trying to calm him down. Ororo is staring out the window the way she does when she's concocting a plan and Logan is leaning against the wall with his fists clenched. He sees me first.

'Where the hell did you go!' he yells,

'I-' I begin, but he interrupts.

'No wonder the Professor sent you away! You're not fit to take care of these children. Rogue, mutationless Rouge, was taken last night and you were God knows where doing God knows what! You should never have been let back into this school!' I stand stunned for a moment, begging my eyes not to cry. I want to say something, but I can't have my voice betray me now. So, instead I turn and leave the office. I hear Logan calling after me,

'There she goes again! Right when we need help, she's out of here!'

This only prompts me to move faster. Before I know it I'm in my room, repacking my suitcase. At the last minute, I grab the Professors book and barrel back through the door.

I throw my suitcase into the back of the car and head for the train station. It's the only place I've ever run to, and now I am desperate to hear the clickity-clack of the wheels to calm me down, and take me away from this house that is no longer my home.

_Back at the mansion…_

Once Rouge is cleaned, she heads down to the office. When she pushes open the door Logan sees her first.

'Marie!' he yells, and rushes to her,

'Are you okay kid, did he hurt you.' Confussion overtakes Rouges face and she looks around the room for Kathy, she's not here.

'Didn't Kathy tell you?' she asks,

'Tell us what?' Bobby asks standing up and coming over to fold Rouge into a hug.

'She had a vision.' Rouge begins, 'she saw Magneto comes and so she took me away into the woods.'

'Why didn't she leave a message?' Logan asks,

'Because she didn't want Magneto to figure out where we were. What happened, where is she?' Rouges eyes scan the faces of the room, and sees they're all looking at Logan. Rouge widens her eyes in a way that says 'explain'.

'I yelled at her.' He says bluntly, any relief he had previously shown vanishing from his voice.

'What! Why?' Rogue demands.

'I thought she'd just left, I didn't know she had tried to help you.' Silently, Ororo leaves the room while Logan continues, 'I'm sorry Rouge, I was worried about you. But when she came in, she didn't try to tell us.'

'Yes she did.' Kitty says, 'She kept trying to talk and you interrupted.'

'Okay,' Rouge says, fury in her voice, 'you had better march up their right now and apologise.'

'No use.' Ororo says as she closes the door returning to the room, 'She's gone.'

'Where would she go?' Rouge asks,

'Well,' Ororo says, 'judging from our childhood, she's probably at the train station. That's where she always ran to.'

Rouge gives Logan a look that could kill and he leaves.

'Logan!' Rouge calls, 'You better bring her back.'


	4. Chapter 4

I find a seat in the middle of the carriage, that was always my favourite place to sit. I put my suitcase on the shelf above my head, but keep the book with me.

'I'm sorry Professor.' I mumble, 'I'm sorry.'

A body flops down beside me and so I turn my face to the window, to stop them from seeing my tears, and say 'that seat's taken.

'Oh yeah,' a voice says, 'by who?' I turn my head to see Logan sitting beside me. I look at the gap between his knees and the chair in front and decide there's no way I'm getting out past him.

'Go away Logan.' I say.

'Not a chance.' He responds, causing me to look at him again.

'Why are you here?'

'Rogue explained everything. I came to apologise.'

'Apology accepted. Now, go away.' We sit in silence for a moment.

'I don't just mean for yelling.' He says quietly.

'Huh?' I reply, baffled by this moment of sincerity.

'I've been terrible to you since the day you arrived, and I'm sorry. It's just…' he pauses, 'you remind me of Jean, and I'm not ready to be reminded of Jean.'

'You could have said that.' I replied, 'Do you know why it hurt?' I ask, and he looks lost so I continue, 'At school, I didn't have many friends and I didn't mind. But here, when you shunned me, do you know why it hurt?' he shakes his head, 'Because at school, I was different. Kids had a recent to be scared of me and to think I'm a freak. Here, I'm the same and being ignored here means there's something wrong with me.' I feel my voice begin to crack and so decide to leave my explanation there.

'There's nothing wrong with you.' Logan says, and does something I never expected. He puts an arm around me and pulls me towards him.

'I'm sorry.' He whispers again.

We sit like this for a long time, and then I dose off. He wakes me a while later and says, 'We're at the end of the line. Where do you want to go?'

'Home.' I reply and he nods, before leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes.

**Recently, I found a pile of unfinished fics on my computer and decided to upload them as is. I hope to continue all of them, but I want to know which is most popular... please review if you want me to continue this one!**


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